Waltzing on Glass
by JadeLeeMorgan
Summary: George has a crush on Izzie, who is dating Alex, and fears telling her for the sake of their friendship. Warning: contains Gizzie and AI...and a bunch of other pairings. Written in third person point of view with focus on George.
1. Disappearing Boy

Rain fell over the darkened city one autumn evening. The drops of water pattered against the ground and objects gently, creating a soothing rhythm even the most troubled child could sleep to. It was what always calmed him. Standing in the front yard of a home he shared with three other people, he stared into space as the cold water hit his skin. The gentle wind blew his brown locks out of his big, blue-green eyes, causing him to automatically blink. He buried his chilled hands into his pockets, shivering slightly.

The world slowly slipped away from him while his mind dipped deeper into the endless pool of possibilities. Some of the results made him worry, and some of the results gave him hope. The sense of false hope that he surely did not need building up in his soul. But what he did need was advice. Advice and comfort from someone that would understand. His problem was that he couldn't tell anyone what was going on with him. Word would get around and the wrong ear would pick up on it. _She_ would know. And he didn't need her to know.

"George?" came a female voice.

The man in the front lawn known as Dr. George O'Malley turned his head to face his room mate, Dr. Meredith Grey.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Why are you in the rain?" she asked.

He shrugged. She sighed and just shook her head, going back inside the house. George let out a long, drawn out sigh, contemplating on whether or not he wanted to return inside the warm home.

_I could go inside... But _she's_ in there. And the last thing I need is seeing her with _him.

George walked away from his spot on the front yard and trudged across the soggy grass, getting his shoes slightly muddy, and walked up the wet cement sidewalk that led to the wooden front porch. He took a seat on the top, letting his legs rest three steps below his seat.

He stared ahead at the neighboring houses, peering past a couple trees to see inside. He saw a man and a woman slow dancing in a dimly lit living room. They were smiling up at each other, looking happy and loved. Feeling slightly nauseous, George turned his eyes toward the next house. He could see inside the window of a teenaged girl's bedroom. She was laying on her bed, talking on the phone and twirling her hair.

_Oh, great. Not only am I pathetic, but I'm a peeping Tom that's a pedophile! Wait, am I having pedophiliac feelings toward her? No... Is "pedophiliac" even a word?_

George lowered his eyes and shook his head, letting it fall into his hands. His drenched hair curled slightly around his fingers, causing him to clutch it and feel the desire to pull it out from pure frustration.

_You're always getting yourself into something, O'Malley. First Olivia, then Meredith, then Callie, and now Izzie? Izzie? Your best friend? Your person? The girl that's dating _Alex_? She's Alex's girl. If I even _tried_ to make a move she would not only slap me, but Alex would kick my ass!_

He let out a long, drawn-out sigh. Depression had touched him over the last month due to his lack of doing and more watching. A small, brief smile tickled the corners of his lips from the memory of the talk he had with Izzie only a year ago. Izzie had said that they should become do-ers like Cristina and Meredith. Izzie was slowly becoming a do-er, but George? He was still a watcher. He still feared the rejection from his peers. He feared losing Izzie because of his crush.

_Is it a crush?_ he thought. _Or am I in love? Maybe it's just lust. She is very beautiful... _

He smiled, thinking about her long golden locks that always fell over her shoulders. Her big, beautiful somber brown eyes. The way her eyelashes slightly curled up. And her tulip-like nose. Her slim, toned body. And the way she moved? It drove him insane. Her walk, which was a cat-like strut with the way her hips would swing slightly from side to side. He loved the way she moved. She was taller than him by about an inch, and he was fine with that. The only thing he found slightly negative was that she could beat him up very easily.

_Chicken armed O'Malley..._

But that wasn't true. He had strong arms that were well toned. They weren't like Gorgeous George's, but they were still strong. And he was easy on the eyes himself, but he would never be aware of it due to his low self esteem. He was baby-faced, which always led his patients to tell him that he was too young to be a doctor and had been accused of being a college freshman. His puppy dog eyes changed between the colors blue and green. Izzie had once jokingly told him that they were magic.

Resting his elbow on his knee, he let his chin fall to his fist and tore his eyes away from the ground.

_But she's also kind. And sweet. She's great with her patients, but does get a little too involved... But then again, so do I. She's so kind-hearted. And funny. She can make me laugh for hours. She's just amazing..._

Snapping out of his daydreams, he realized that he was still smiling. He let the corners of his face drop and immediately felt the aching muscles in his face complain.

After five more minutes of sitting on the front porch, he finally stood up and went inside to change his clothes. He spent the rest of his evening in his bedroom, not wanting to see Alex and Izzie together.


	2. I Want To Be Alone

Sunlight poured through the drapes in George's room the following morning. He slowly opened his eyes, feeling slightly blinded by the golden rays of light. He sighed and stared up at his white ceiling. Feeling worse than last night, he didn't have any desire to get out of bed.

_Just call me Dark and Twisty George..._

He sat up and scratched the back of his neck. The door opened and Izzie stepped in, fully dressed and already showered, wearing an annoyed look on her face. George looked at her, feeling his stomach flutter.

"Okay, this is the last time I'm going to tell you this. If you're going to clog up the toilet, you _gotta_ be willing to use a plunger. Otherwise we're going to make you crap in the backyard."

She turned on her heel and left, slamming the door behind her. George's face was beat red with embarrassment.

_Not only did she tell me they'd make me crap in the backyard, but she also accused me of clogging the toilet! I didn't even _do_ anything!_

George stood up and began his morning routine of getting showered and dressed, then went downstairs to eat whatever he could find.

As he stood in the kitchen, hunting through the cabinets, he heard someone enter the room.

He pulled a box of granola bars out of the cabinet and turned around; Alex came toward him.

"Thanks for taking the blame for me, O'Malley," Alex said, jogging past him and grabbing the box of granola bars out of George's hands.

_I was going to eat those..._

"You told her that I clogged the toilet?" George stared at him, giving him a baffled look.

"Yeah. Who else would I post the blame on? Shepherd?"

George's face had turned eight different shades of red.

"Why'd you tell Izzie it was me though? That was really embarrassing."

"Because you're a fetus, O'Malley. Grow a pair." Alex jogged out of the kitchen with George's breakfast.

George stared after him, feeling like he truly deserved the names he was called.

Seattle Grace Hospital was as busy as usual. The ER was loaded with patients due to a fatal car accident that was caused by a deer. Dr. Hunt, who was the ER attending, assigned residents to different cases. Cristina and Alex, always being competitive with each other, were assigned to a case with a guy who's leg was amputated from the crash. They were going to be working with Dr. Webber, the chief of surgery.

Meredith was working with Dr. Bailey, the chief resident, on a woman that was vomiting blood. George and Izzie were assigned to work with Dr. Derek Shepherd, who was an attending and was the head of neurosurgery. They were working on a man who was having chronic grand mal seizures.

"O'Malley, Stevens, I want you both to take this man to get a CT scan. Bring me back the results," Dr. Shepherd ordered.

George and Izzie nodded, following the nurses that were wheeling the patient into the scanning room.

"Okay, Mr. Thomas, we're going to have to ask you to lay as still as you can," George said through the microphone as he peered through the glass to look at Mr. Thomas.

Mr. Thomas, a man in his forties, gave George and Izzie the thumbs up.

George saw Izzie smile a little in the glass. He felt the corners of his mouth raise upward, giving her smile an adoring look. He saw her sit down next to him and give a tired sigh.

"I hear you have an admirer, George," she whispered in his ear.

George's breath got caught in his throat; he closed his eyes and slowly exhaled.

"Wh-What?" he stuttered, slowly looking at Izzie. He felt mesmerized by her delicate features.

"Word is that there's a nurse who has a crush on you, George." Izzie grinned at him.

George's eyes slowly dropped to his lap.

"Aren't you slightly curious about who likes you, George?" she asked.

The way her voice sounded when she said his name always made him pay full attention. It always brought him back down to earth and become aware of what was going on. He loved how she said his name. He wanted her to say it all day.

_Way to sound like a narcissist, George..._

"No," he responded.

Izzie stared at him. He felt her somber eyes stare bullets into his skull.

"Seriously?" she questioned. "You might like her, too," she said the last part quietly.

George looked up at her. Their eyes met for a bit.

"How're you and Alex doing?" he asked.

"Alright, I guess," she said with a sigh. "Last night didn't go as well as I had hoped."

"What do you mean?" George asked. He felt somewhat nervous to hear her answer.

"Alex was experiencing some... 'technical' difficulties in the bedroom last night."

George's eyes widened. He couldn't help but laugh.

"Alex? Really?" He continued to laugh.

Izzie gave him a scolding look that made him stop immediately.

"I tried to explain to him that it's a perfectly normal thing, and most guys go through it at some point, but he said it's never happened before..."

"That's what we all say," George said, holding back cackles. Izzie looked at him with a raised brow. George's eyes widened and added quickly, "And by 'we' I meant 'they' - that's what _they_ all say."

"Right," she said, slowly turning away.

_Good job, George. She thinks you're perverted _and _a loser._

He let out a depressed sigh, watching Mr. Thomas lay still as the CT images begun to show up on the computers.

"Wow, look at that," George said, pointing at his frontal lobe. "It's bleeding!"

"That explains the seizures," said Izzie. "Page Shepherd, we have to get him into surgery!"


	3. 2000 Light Years Away

George and Izzie stood behind Dr. Derek Shepherd, observing how he was repairing Mr. Thomas' bleeding tissue. George was trying to keep focus on Derek's craniotomy, but struggled as he was standing next to Izzie and could only focus on her sweet scent that he adored.

"O'Malley?"

George snapped out of his fantasy world.

"Sorry," he said, stepping aside to allow a scrub nurse hand Derek a ten blade.

After a successful surgery, both George and Izzie walked back to the locker room to get their things so they could go home. At one-thirty in the morning.

"Thank God that shift is over. I'm so tired I could scream," Izzie said, loading her backpack with her leftover food that she didn't get to eat.

"Me too," said George.

Alex walked in. George watched him walk over and push Izzie into her locker and shove his lips against hers.

George glared daggers into the back of Alex's head. The burning sensation of jealousy pegged the pit of his stomach.

"Alex," Izzie said, gently pushing him away. George and Izzie momentarily caught each others' eyes.

"What?" Alex asked.

"Not now," she said, slipping past him.

"Tomorrow then?" He winked. She nodded.

George turned away from them, full of hatred and jealousy, and begun stuffing a few text books back into his bag.

"See ya," he heard Alex say to Izzie.

He heard their lips smack, followed by Alex's footsteps leaving. He looked at Izzie. She was staring at the door.

"...you go home, George. I'm going to go and catch up with Alex."

She made her way toward the door. George gave her an unbelieving look.

"But-" she cut him off.

"See you tomorrow!" Izzie grinned.

George felt sick to his stomach. He knew what Izzie and Alex were going to do, and it made him want to punch Alex and give Izzie the most passionate night of her life that he had daydreamed about so many times. Sighing, he picked up his bag and exited the locker room, never feeling so along. He was so tired of his love sickness that he could scream.

Ever since Izzie had started to date Alex, George and Izzie's friendship had slowly started to fall apart. It made George feel depressed, and he had no idea how Izzie was taking it.


	4. Lonely No More

Friday nights were what George dreaded the most. He hated being mocked by his co-workers for not having a date, he hated hearing Alex and Izzie go at it next door, he hated staying home alone if he wasn't working... The whole thing made him nauseous.

_You're pathetic, George..._ He thought to himself as he paced in his bedroom.

He sat down on his bed and looked at the rain-covered window. He glared at it, knowing that Alex and Izzie would be in that night because Alex hated the rain. George thought about all of the times Izzie had mentioned wanting to go out on a rainy night. She loved the rain. She had once shared with him that she had always wanted to make love to someone in the rain. George teased her and told her that she'd catch a cold.

Smiling, George recalled the look on her face in response to what he had said. She told him that her first kiss had been in the rain as well. He loved that slight obsession she had with it. Alex, on the other hand, thought it was corny and stupid.

"Alex!" Izzie exclaimed next door.

There was a thump, followed by the sounds of Izzie's giggle. Alex moaned moments later, causing George to cringe.

_I think I'm going to vomit..._

He heard the thumping coming from the opposite wall. It was in an uneven, strange rhythm.

"I think I'm going to be sick," he muttered quietly.

He heard Izzie moan and felt...betrayed?

_How can I feel betrayed when she doesn't have those feelings for me?_

He stared at the door, slowly losing sight of it and drifting off into a fantasy world where him and Izzie were the only living people. Alex didn't exist and neither did their so-called "problems."

George was always known for being a dreamer. He could think up some of the strangest situations in seconds, or tell a tale of complete randomness without trying. People always under-estimated him and it annoyed him. But what annoyed him more than anything in that moment was Alex and Izzie having loud, obnoxious sex next door. He laid down, feeling sick and angry. He was tired of being lonely. He wanted Izzie to be laying next to him. He wanted to take her out on a date and kiss her in the rain. He didn't know about having sex with her in the rain, but he knew he'd give her the most romantic night of her life. There was no doubt in his mind about that.

He closed his eyes, paying more attention than he should have to the noise next door. He grumbled; images of them together were painted into his mind. His stomach turned.

"Oh, harder," he heard Izzie moan.

George groaned, feeling slightly aroused by her plea. He heard Izzie's heavy breathing and whimpers. Feeling perverted like he was a stalker, he swallowed hard and shook off his wandering mind, turning over in bed and closed his eyes. Two hours passed and Izzie and Alex were done. Well, so George thought. What seemed like two hours had only been ten minutes. He begun to wonder just how soft her bare skin was and just what it felt like to hold her. He drifted off to sleep as he asked himself these questions.


	5. Infatuation

He was on cloud nine. Or so how he felt, anyway. His senses felt heightened by each sensation that he was experiencing, and he enjoyed every moment of it. The sounds he was hearing, the feelings he was experiencing, the scents he was smelling and, oh God... The feeling. What he could touch and feel was something too great for a normal human to experience.

And what he saw... What he saw in front of him was too good to be true. What he saw was his. All his and nobody else's. What he saw he could have all to himself with no interruptions.

There she was, his Izzie, laying on him. She was burying her face into his neck, kissing and sucking the skin. Her kisses were better than any other girl's he had been with. The way her soft, upturned lips would brush his neck drove him insane. He heard himself whimper beneath her soft fingers that traced around his left ear. He placed his hand on the small of her back and massaged it, gluing his eyes to the side of her face. She looked up at him and smiled. His eyes begged for her sweet lips to touch his.

Like she could read his mind, she sat up and placed her hand on his jaw and gave him a long, arousing passionate kiss. The feel of her tongue made him scream her name over and over in his head, wanting so much more. He wanted all of her for both his own selfish desires and love. Moments into their kiss, George rolled them over so they were in the missionary position. Though they were both fully clothed, the feeling was still erotic. He kissed her in all of the places he wanted to, and touched her where he pleased.

"George," he heard her say in a soft, pleasured moan.

"You like that?" he whispered in a low, alluring voice. He gently sucked on her earlobe, pressing his pelvis down against hers.

"Oh, George..." she continued.

"Izzie," he quietly moaned into her ear, continuing to rock his pelvis against hers.

"George."

His eyes snapped open and fixed themselves on Izzie. He leaped back in his bed and quickly pulled the blankets over his groin, still aroused from his dream. He looked at his alarm clock and saw that it was two AM. Confused, George looked up at Izzie. Her face was stained with tears and her eyes showed heartbreak.

"Iz, what's wrong?" he asked, moving over in his bed so she could get in.

"A-Alex left," she whispered, climbing into bed next to him.

"Isn't he on call or something?" George muttered.

"N-No... We had a fight," she said. "H-He told me he wasn't sure that he even wanted to see me anymore," she said, sniffling. She climbed into bed next to George and laid her head on his shoulder.

George wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to him into a comforting embrace.

"Sshh, it's okay," he whispered. "Izzie, you deserve better than him. You know how he gets. Remember with Olivia?"

Izzie lifted her head off of his shoulder and quickly wiped her tears.

"He's changed, George! He wouldn't cheat on me again. He's different."

"He may not cheat on you, but I haven't seen him speak more kindly to you."

"He's just stressed out. You call me names, too."

"I'm just teasing when I say those things. I don't even mean them. But Alex never apologizes and is serious. Izzie, you need to let him go. You're too good for him."

"But George, you don't understand..." she whispered, locking eyes with him. "He says he loves me."

"Do you love him?" George whispered back, keeping his eyes fixed on hers. He feared her answer.

Izzie hesitated. She dropped her gaze and stared down at his chest.

"I-I guess... Maybe?"

"Izzie," George said, staring at her.

"No," she finally said. "I don't."

George sighed. "Why did you two fight to begin with?"

Izzie wiped the rest of her tears away and sniffled again. She laid her head back down on his shoulder.

"He wanted another round and I told him that I was too tired. My back is so sore from doing surgery earlier and my head is pounding. I told him earlier that once was all was going to happen and after that I needed sleep. He begged and begged and began touching me. I shoved him away and snapped at him. He got angry and got out of bed and started to get his clothes on and said he was leaving. He said he wasn't asking for much and if I couldn't give it to him, maybe I wasn't worth his while." Fresh tears began running down her cheeks.

_What a jerk!_ George thought. _How could Alex treat her like that? Izzie deserves better than that._

"Just forget about him, Iz," George whispered, pulling her closer. "You don't need him."

Moments later Izzie raised her head, eyes puffy and red from her salty tears, and gave him a small smile.

"Thank you, George. You're sweet," she whispered, softly kissing his cheek.

George felt incoherent for a little bit, taken aback by her kiss. She laid her head back down on his shoulder as he pressed his fingers to the spot where her lips had touched his cheek.

There was silence for a bit. Things weren't awkward, but comfortable. George closed his eyes, pulling Izzie closer. He felt the need to keep her safe from Alex and any other things that may go bump in the night. Izzie didn't move until her leg brushed his pelvis.

Both of them froze. Izzie slowly raised her head off of his shoulder and stared down at him. George, fire red in the face, slowly looked at her. He begun to shake slightly, feeling embarrassed.

"George, do you have a...?" she slowly asked.

George opened his mouth, trying to form words that could come out properly, but failed. He slowly shook his head. Izzie's face lit up with amusement. She moved away from him and buried her face in his other pillow, giggling and laughing at his hormones.

"Shut up," George grumbled.

"Were you having special dreams before I walked in?" she asked, still giggling.

George looked at her. Images of his dream returned and what he had been feeling were all still very fresh in his mind.

"No," he lied. "Are you going to sleep in here or in your room?" he asked, trying to change the subject.

"Back here. Unless you want some alone time to play with little Jimmy and the twins." She snickered.

George glared. "Would you knock it off!"

Izzie stopped laughing and finally settled down.

"Alright, I'm sorry." She laid down and yawned. "Maybe Alex will have cooled down tomorrow..."

"Yeah, maybe," George muttered bitterly, wishing she'd forget Alex. "Get some sleep."

"You too." Izzie snickered. "Just try not to get too excited." She laughed again.

George couldn't help but chuckle over her laugh.

"Good night, Izzie."

"Night," she said, rolling over and wrapping her arms around him.

He froze for a moment, then pulled her close to him.

"Thanks again," she whispered in his ear.

"No problem," he whispered. "I'd do anything for you."

"I know. Because I'm special." She grinned.

He rolled his eyes and smiled. She giggled and rested her between his chin and the pillow. He nuzzled her head and closed his eyes, slowly drifting off back to sleep.


	6. Mr Sensitive

*** Credit goes to Red Bess Rackham for the Izzie and Alex part. Thanks!**

George and Izzie started their shifts at eight AM, making them arrive hours before Alex was due. Meaning they weren't supposed to start yet, they decided to kill time in the locker room.

Izzie shoved containers of cookies, gummy bears and chocolate chips around, trying to find her stethoscope. George pulled his shirt off and watched her.

"Find it yet?" he asked as he stuffed his sweatshirt into his locker.

"No! I don't know where it went."

George pulled out his scrub shirt and sighed. Izzie looked at him. They managed to catch each others eyes.

"Did you check your bag?" he asked quietly, not breaking eye contact.

He noticed her eyes moving down to look at his chest.

"You should check," he said. He pulled his shirt on.

He pushed his head through the whole of his shirt and watched her look through her bag.

"Found it!" She revealed her stethoscope and grinned.

"Well, ya know," George said, smiling and strutting over to her.

"I knew it was there all along," she defended.

"Pfft." George rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right! You'd lose your ankles if I weren't around."

Izzie narrowed her chocolaty eyes.

"Shut up."

George laughed, always finding her hushing cute.

"So, Halloween is coming up." Izzie grinned at him.

"Izzie," he said, knowing exactly what she was planning. "We are not going to have a costume party, so you can forget it!"

Izzie gave him an exasperated look.

"Come on, George! It d be fun! You could be Michael Knight from Knight Rider, and McDreamy and Meredith could go as Cinderella and Prince Charming Alex and I could be Peter Pan and Wendy!" Izzie grinned.

George imagined her thinking about a Martha Stewart-styled Halloween party with jack-o-lanterns and friends from the hospital.

"Right," he muttered, feeling rather down since he had to be the only one that wasn't paired.

He didn't mind the Michael Knight thing, but he knew that he'd wear green tights if it meant having Izzie by his side.

Dr. Bailey walked in. She narrowed her eyes at George and Izzie.

"O'Malley, Stevens, I want you both covering the pit today."

They both nodded and shuffled past Bailey, not wanting to be on her bad side.

"Wouldn't Bailey look adorable in a Mary Poppins costume?" Izzie whispered to George.

George gave her a strange look.

"No?" he said quietly as they neared the elevator.

"Oh, whatever," she said, pressing the down button.

Several hours passed and George and Izzie were bored out of their skulls. There was hardly anything going on. The most they had seen was a thirteen-year-old boy come in with a large cut on his head from skateboarding. He wasn't happy when his mom showed up and grounded him for skipping school for no reason. George was even unhappier than the boy because the patient, Josh, kissed Izzie. Izzie laughed it off while George took over so Josh wouldn't lay his lips on his Izzie.

_My Izzie? She's not mine._Alex showed up after George and Izzie's twelve-thirty lunch break.

"Oh no," Izzie said as she and George approached the nurse's station.

Alex was leaning against the desk, talking to Olivia.

"Come on, Izzie," George said, trying to pull her away.

"I'm gonna go talk to him. I need to know what his problem is." She broke her arm away from George's grasp and marched over to Alex.

George couldn't quite hear their conversation, but was able to piece out a few of the words they exchanged. George sneakily stepped forward to get a better listen.

_Don't be so nosey!_

_But I gotta know whether to avoid them or not!_

"Quit overreacting, Izz! Geez. Your drama all the time is old," Alex snapped hotly.

Izzie's facial expression was a mixture of hurt and anger. She raised her right hand and gave him a hard slap across the face. The sound of her hand coming in contact with his cheek echoed down the hall, causing people near by to stare.

"Ow!" Alex cried in pain, putting his hand on his bruising cheek. "What the hell?!"

Izzie glared, then turned on her heel and stalked out of the room. Her eyes grew wet as she walked past George.

George's eyes narrowed into a glare. He stalked up to Alex.

"You have no right to call her a bitch, Alex!" George said through his gritted teeth. His hands were balled into tight fists.

Alex smirked at him.

"What're you going to do, O'Malley? Hit me with your fetus hands? You couldn't hurt me if you tried."

"I'm not going to hit you," George growled. "I'm not low like you. But you better apologize to Izzie."

"Or what? What're you going to do if I don't, O Malley? Make me check your jack for syphilis again? Cos I had enough of looking at your baby penis."

The nurses behind Alex started snickering while looking back and forth between Alex and George. George's face was fire red.

"You're going to make vulgar insults instead of saying you're sorry to Izzie?" he questioned. "I have no idea what she sees in you."

Alex's smug look turned into an icy stare. He approached George like a lion getting ready to attack their prey.

"She's never going to love you, O'Malley. She wants a man, not a scared little boy," he whispered so only George could hear.

George glared at him.

"You don't deserve her. She deserves someone that will treat her like a queen, not someone like you that hurts her and only wants her for sex. I may be a 'fetus,' but at least I don't stomp all over people and disrespect women."

And with that, George walked off, leaving Alex steaming and the female nurses swooning over George's defensive words.

As George turned the corner to get out of Alex's sight, he felt a pair of hands grab him and pull him into a dark linen closet.

"Izzie?" he said, feeling her pull him into a tight, appreciative embrace.

"Thank you," she whispered as she quickly switched on the light. "Thank you for standing up to him."

George held her tight.

"You deserve better," he replied quietly.

Izzie pulled back and kissed his cheek softly.

"I have to get back to work. See you in the pit." She gave him a quick hug and hurried out, letting the door slam behind her.

George's knees buckled, causing him to collapse against a metal shelf.

"Oh, Izzie," he whispered, slowly shaking his head.


	7. Poprocks and Coke

Four days had passed since the run-in with Alex, and neither one of them had seen or heard from him since. With Halloween being only a week away, Izzie had focused on organizing the costume party that was going to be held at Joe's Bar. Meredith firmly explained why she wasn't allowing Izzie to throw it in their house.

It was going on midnight; George and Izzie were seated on the couch with papers strung all over the coffee table, otherwise known as Izzie's party plans.

"So, what're you going as?" George asked curiously.

"I don't know. I'm thinking about either Catwoman or Wonder Woman."

George looked at her imagined her in the outfit Halle Berry wore in _Catwoman._ He shifted in his seat, aroused by the image of Izzie in the sexy leather that showed her perfect hour glass figure.

"George?"

George's eyes snapped away from her hips and looked at her.

"What?" He snapped out of his trance and focused on their conversation.

"What're you going as?" She raised her eyebrows.

"I don't know," he replied. "A doctor, I guess?"

"You're already a doctor!" Izzie rolled her eyes. "What about an agent or a superhero?"

"No," he muttered. "Why can't I just be George?"

"Because it'd be more fun if you dressed up! Oh, you know what you should be? A vampire."

"A…vampire? " George raised his eyebrows, rather intrigued.

"Yeah! Not one of those Twilight vampires though. Too…no. Just a cool vampire."

"Like Dracula?" He reclined in his seat, giving Izzie a look.

"Sure," she said.

George watched her eyes travel down his chest.

He reached his hand out and delicately touched her shoulder.

"Are you okay?" he asked in a gentle voice.

"Yeah," she whispered. "I'm just… I don't know. I need something to keep me occupied. I'm confused about my feelings towards Alex. He says he loves me, then he acts like a jerk and hurts me."

"Just forget him. You deserve better."

"Where do I find better, George? I'm twenty eight years old, and all of my old classmates and friends are either married with kids or have someone and are content."

"Well… Maybe you already know 'the one'? Or maybe you haven't met him yet…" George said quietly.

George watched her brown irises meet his dark green ones. They held each others' gaze for a bit.

"What if I already know him?" she whispered.

Her eyes lingered over him, letting her body get closer to his.

"Then you should go after him," George in a soft whisper, allowing himself to come closer to her.

He watched her eyelids close as she brought her face closer to his. He watched her soft, red lips part.

He put his hand on her cheek and closed his eyes, taking in the moment he had dreamed about for so long. Their noses brushed each other as they positioned themselves.

_Please don't let my breath smell so bad that it'd scare a dog off a gut wagon…_

Their lips were half a second away from touching when the phone rang.

Their teeth clashed and their noses bumped. Both pulled back in pain and surprise, completely startled by the phone.

George held his hand over his nose and mouth, groaning in pain.

"Ow," he moaned, sitting back on the couch.

"Sorry!" Izzie exclaimed. She held her mouth as she picked up the phone. "Hello?"

George watched her pause to listen to the person on the other end. Izzie's facial expression went from annoyed to vexed. She put the phone on speaker and leaned back into George's out stretched arm. She rested her on his shoulder. George looked from the phone to Izzie.

"I love you, Izz!" Alex's voice slurred.

"You're drunk!" Izzie exclaimed.

"I am not!" Alex growled. "Come on, Izz! Let's go to Vegas!"

"Leave me alone!" Izzie glared at the phone. "I don't wanna talk to you!"

"I don't care what you want! I want to get married. Come on! You can come to my place and we'll get sexed up, then we'll hop on the plane and go to Vegas!"

"No, Alex. Don't call me anymore."

"But I love you! Don't you love me?"

Izzie stared at the phone for a bit. George watched, scared to hear her answer. Izzie then looked at George. He felt her take his hand in hers. Though he was generally, he couldn't help but feel slightly pretentious. Izzie looked at the phone.

"No," she said, sounding assured. "I don't love you like that, Alex. I'm _not_ in love with you."

"What?!" Alex exclaimed angrily. "Fine! Forget you, Izzie!"

The line went dead. Izzie rolled her eyes and hung up the phone.

"He's so drunk he probably can't see straight," she whispered, leaning back against George. "Idiot."

George remained silent. He hugged Izzie close and sighed.


	8. Mother Mary

The following day George was having problems focusing on his work due to his scattered thoughts. His almost-kiss with Izzie at midnight kept playing through his mind; her being so close to him outside of his fantasies was something he couldn't get over and there was a good chance, he was sure, that he wouldn't forget about it for a long time. Every time he thought about it a feeling of excitement would flutter in the pit of his stomach.

He was working in the E.R. with Dr. Hunt that day while Izzie and Alex were in O.B. with Dr. Montgomery. George was irritated all day because he couldn't work with Izzie, and to make matters worse, Alex was the one working with her instead. He wished he could trade with Alex or have Izzie work with him in the E.R. - that would be better. He loved working in the E.R. He was good with trauma, and he enjoyed Hunt's mentoring.

The E.R. was rather busy all morning because there was a motorcycle and car accident that happened outside of Seattle. The driver of the silver Corvette, a twenty-five year old male that complained of neck pains, was doing eighty in a forty-five zone. A man in his early thirties was driving toward town doing the legal speed limit when the younger man lost control of his car and nearly hit the motorcyclist. The man on the motorcycle swerved to avoid the car and fell off; he was dragged three yards down the road by his motorcycle because it landed on his right leg. The driver of the Corvette, however, hit the brakes and skidded across the road. Luckily for them there were no other vehicles on the road at the time.

George was assigned by Dr. Hunt to take care of the driver of the vehicle while he and Dr. Sloan worked on the motorcyclist. Hunt promised George that he would be the one to scrub in with him if the man were in need of a surgery. Though he was disappointed that he was stuck listening to the arrogant driver complain, he merely nodded and followed his boss's orders.

Looking over the driver's chart, George was already losing more respect for the driver. The man's name was Zack Haffke. He was a hot shot-looking guy with a blonde crew cut and icey blue eyes. He was tanned and had a muscular build. Olivia, whom George had had relations with in the past, was the nurse helping him. George noted that she had spent more time flirting with Zack than she should have.

But his looks and the female nurses finding him attractive wasn't what irritated George. No, it was his attitude. Zack was overly confident in himself and seemed, in George's eyes, to have a head full of hot air. Zack talked about himself quite often; when the attention wasn't on him, he'd complain of pain so he could be focused on again. Another thing that irritated George was how he called the attractive women in the E.R. "doll," "gorgeous," "dollface," or, the worst to George's ears, "toots."

"Okay, Mr. Haffke, we're going to give you a physical, then we're going to do some blood work and we'll need you to give you a drug screening." Zack's almond-shaped eyes met George's large orbs.

"A drug screening? You want me to whiz into a cup?"

"Yes," George responded, looking back down at the man's chart. "It's required by law that anyone in the state of Washington that is involved in a motor vehicle accident must submit into a drug screening."

"That's B.S.! I don't want to have people watch me pee!" Zack shouted. Several people turned to stare before returning back to what they were doing.

George sighed.

"Mr. Haffke, we will have a nurse assist you into a bathroom where she will stand outside the door so you can have privacy."

"Hm," he grumbled. He looked at Olivia, who was watching him. He put on a charming smile. "You gonna be the one to help me?"

"Yes, sir," she said, smiling.

He smirked. "Alright then."

George mentally rolled his eyes. He looked at Zack and saw him staring.

"You gonna be the one to test my piss?" Zack asked.

George shook his head.

"No. Someone in the lab will." George watched Olivia take Zack's blood pressure.

After he wrote down Zack's blood pressure, his pager went off. It was Izzie.

Excitement filled him. He handed Zack's chart to Olivia.

"Um...I have to take this. Back in a bit. Just write everything down." George hurried out of the room.

"Bye, Doc!" Zack shouted like a smart aleck.

George ran up the steps to the third floor. He didn't want to wait around for an elevator, especially since it was Izzie that was paging him. He hurried past the West surgical wing and made his way into the Obstetrics area. He saw Izzie standing near a linen closet. Confused, George ran up to her.

"You paged?" he panted.

She opened the door behind herself and pulled him in. Once the door shut, she locked it and turned on the light.

"Get Alex to trade with you down in the E.R. He keeps hitting on me and asking me to go out with him."

"I don't know, Izzie. I really like working in the E.R."

"And I like O.B. But I can't stand Alex!"

"Alright, Izzie," George said, giving a small sigh. "Tell Addison what's going on and try to get her to get me and Alex traded. I don't think they're on very good terms at the moment."

"They're not," Izzie responded. "He was her last choice."

George scratched the back of his neck.

"Um, this is a bad time to talk about this, but about last night..."

Izzie opened her mouth to speak when there was a knock on the door. She closed her eyes and sighed.

"We'll be out in a second," she said.

"Hurry up, Izz!" Alex shouted. "Addison says that fat chick is going to give birth in a minute. She says we need all the hands we can get to saw that heffer open."

"Alex!" Izzie shouted. "Can you be anymore insensitive? She's pregnant for God's sakes!"

"What?! I'm just sayin'!"

They heard him walk away. Izzie looked at George and gave him a pleading look.

"Please?"

"I'm on my way to the E.R. now. Let Addison know that I'm willing to help."

He unlocked the door and threw it open. Izzie grabbed his shoulder and turned him around so they were face to face.

"Thank you." She kissed his cheek, then released him.

George felt his face flush and gave a nod in response. He ran out and made his way back down to the E.R.

Not even a minute after he was back in the E.R. Dr. Hunt approached him.

"O'Malley, they need you in obstetrics. Dr. Montgomery has to deliver triplets and there aren't enough doctors to help; the babies are pre-mature and one may have to have surgery. Dr. Stevens recommended you."

"Yes, sir," George replied. "Who's going to take over Mr. Haffke?"

"We'll get someone - don't worry. Just go, O'Malley. You're needed." Dr. Hunt smiled a little at him.

George nodded and ran back to the third floor.

Inside the O.R., George was ordered to handle baby A because that would be the one that would need immediate surgery on his or her stomach.

"Okay, O'Malley. When baby A comes out, you and Sherryl are going to hurry the baby over there and get him cleaned off. While Sherryl cleans him off I need you to call Dr. Bailey," said Addison, who was waiting for the nurses to set up the screen so the Mother wouldn't be able to see them opening her.

"Yes, Dr. Montgomery," George replied.

"Is my baby going to be okay?" weeped Nancy Biggin, the mother of the triplets.

"Dr. Bailey is an excellent doctor, Nancy. Now, I need you to hold tight while we deliver these babies. Renee will be here to keep you calm." Addison motioned toward a dark haired woman that was standing by Nancy's head.

George watched Addison make the incision into Nancy's stomach; his eyes shot up to look at Izzie, who was looking at George. He gave her an assuring smile. She returned it, then looked down at the stomach. George glanced to his left where Alex was standing. He had a surly expression that made George feel uneasy.

George's attention was snapped back into reality when he heard a high pitched cry. Addison carefully pulled baby A out of the uterus and waited for Sherryl to cut the umbilical cord. Once it was removed, Addison announced that it was a baby girl and handed her off to George. George carefully carried the tiny newborn over to the table and left her with Sherryl, who quickly cleaned her off while George paged Dr. Bailey.

"It's another girl!" Addison announced.

Another cry rang out. Alex went with one of the scrub nurses to clean the baby off and gave her an exam to be sure she wouldn't need any surgeries.

"Dr. Bailey's on her way," George informed Addison.

He watched her pull baby C out.

"Let your husband know that he's got his boy," Addison said, giving Nancy a smile.

"Oh, he'll be so proud," George heard Nancy weep.

"Oh no," Addison whispered quietly. "He's not breathing. Stevens!"

Izzie rushed over and took the baby, then hurried over with a red headed scrub nurse. George watched them, then looked at Addison, who was trying to calm the panicking mother down.

"Is he going to be okay?! He'll live, right?!" Nancy cried.

George rushed over to where Izzie was and looked at the baby that was turning blue.

"Dr. Montogmery, his air passages are closed. What do I do?!"

"You need to intibate him," George replied before Addison could speak.

"I-I'm not that good at intibating," Izzie whispered in panic. "I almost choked someone once."

"Go with Dr. Bailey. I'll handle this one."

"Are you sure?" Izzie asked.

"Yes. Go!"

Izzie hurried over to baby A seconds before Dr. Bailey came in to get them.

George got out an endotracheal tube and opened the newborn's mouth. The nurse tilted his head back and George inserted it down between the trachea and esophagus. The nurse attached an ambu-bag to the tube and filled the baby's lungs with oxygen.

"Dr. O'Malley, how is he doing?" Addison asked moments later.

"His lungs are filling with air and his skin is less blue."

"What do we do now?" she asked.

"We get him started on an IV and keep the endotracheal tube in until he is strong enough to breathe on his own. He should be just fine," George replied in a calm manner.

"Correct. Good job, O'Malley." Addison smiled at him as she finished stitching Nancy closed.

"Wh-What is your first name?" Nancy asked.

George laid baby C gently into the incubator and looked over at Nancy.

"Whose name?" Addison asked.

"Dr. O'Malley."

"My name is George," he replied.

"George..." she repeated softly. "You saved my baby. I-I'm naming my son after you. Thank you."

A small smile formed behind George's surgical mask.

"I will see you later, Nancy." George followed the scrub nurse out of the O.R.

"George Patrick Biggin," Izzie said, giving George a smile.

That night George, Izzie and Alex were in the Biggin babies' room, visiting the newborns. Alex stood over the little girl he helped deliver named Nicole. The baby Izzie assisted Dr. Bailey with in surgery was named Bailey Isobel. George smiled at Izzie.

"I can't believe I'm the only one that didn't get named after," Alex grumbled, staring down at Nicole.

"Her middle name is Alexandra, Alex," Izzie said, rolling her eyes a little.

She stared down at Bailey, giving her a sweet smile.

"Oh, you're so cute. I want a baby..."

"Nobody's looking. Just take one," George whispered, trying to look serious.

Izzie laughed. Alex rolled his eyes.

"We're going to have to call you Big George," Izzie said moments later. She was watching baby George wrapping his tiny hand around George's index finger.

"Big George?" George chuckled.

"And he can be Little George. Isn't that cute?!" Izzie giggled.

"No. I feel sorry for the kid. He got named after Fetus O'Malley." Alex snickered.

George's eyes narrowed.

Izzie rolled her eyes. "Shut up, Alex. He was named after George because he knew what to do before Addison could even respond. George saved his life."

"Whatever," Alex grumbled. His pager went off. He looked down at it and got up. "Gotta split."

He took off. George sighed and continued to stare down at Little George.

"This is the second baby that's been named after me," he whispered. "I wouldn't even name my own kid after myself. Why would anyone else want to?"

"Because you're George, and you're sweet. I would name my baby after you." Izzie smiled at him.

"You want to name your kid after 'Fetus' O'Malley?" George stared up at her.

Izzie laughed.

"My son would be proud to be named after you."

"Nah. He'd probably get picked on and called Bambi or something..." George smiled at her.

Izzie giggled. George slowly stood up, making Little George release Big George's finger.

"Our shifts are done in ten minutes. You got plans?" he asked.

Izzie stood up from her seat in front of Bailey's incubator.

"Nope."

"Wanna take a walk in the park?" He smiled.

She smiled at him.

"I'd really like that, George."

He smiled back at her.


	9. Ever The Same

It was time for both George and Izzie to punch out when the clock chimed eight. They changed and got their things before saying good bye to Meredith, who was preaching how important penmanship is to her interns, and made their way to George's car. Izzie told him to stop at the house before they went to Seward Park.

The traffic was light for downtown Seattle, especially on a clear Sunday evening, so their travel time was shorter than usual. George waited out in the car while Izzie went inside to get what she wanted, so he was left to entertain himself with the radio.

_Why is it that whenever I turn on the radio I hear nothing but Miley Cyrus?_

George grumbled to himself and turned the dial to 100.5, the Big R classic rock radio.

_"They call me Dr. Love..."_

_"Dr. Love."_

_"I got the cure you're thinking of."_

A small smile formed on George's face. He remembered Ronny and Jerry always playing that song when he was young; one of his earliest memories was sitting in their room, in his diapers, watching them play air guitar to the song. They'd get him to jump on their beds and try to sing along to the words, which always made their mom come running in with the video camera to film so she could show how adorable her children were to her whole women's book club.

The song ended before he knew it and one he always despised was next on the playlist. He turned the dial to 92.5, the top 40-pop music station. He was getting ready to turn it when a song caught his attention:

_"Do you ever think when you're alone, all that we could be,- where this thing could go? Am I crazy or falling in love? Is it real or just another crush?"_

George's body froze. He looked at the front door of the house and saw Izzie's shadow moving through the front foyer. It looked like she was going into the kitchen. George swallowed hard. His mind focused on the song.

_"Do you catch a breath when I look at you? Are you holding back like the way I do? Cos I'm trying and trying to walk away, but I know this crush ain't going away."_

Feeling uneasy, George sat back in his seat and shut the motor off.

_"Has it ever crossed your mind when we're hanging, spending time, girl, are we just friends? Is there more? Is there more? See, it's a chance we gotta take, cos I believe that we can make this into something that'll last, last forever."_

George saw Izzie bounce back into the front foyer. She was holding onto a bag that appeared to have a clump of blue in it. He listened to the chorus of the song repeat while watching her step outside of the house with her bag. She sat it down on the wooden porch and fumble through her faded blue jean pockets.

_"Why do I keep running from the truth? All I ever think about is you. You've got me hypnotized; so mesmerized, and I just got to know..."_

He bit his bottom lip, watching her lock the front door, he started the car and continued to keep his eyes focused on her.

The chorus repeated several times before she finally got the old door handle to lock. He watched her walk back to the car in an almost dream-like strut.

_"Do you ever think when you're all alone, all that we could be, where this thing could go? Do you catch a breath when I look at you, are you holding back like the way I do?"_

She opened the car door and he quickly turned the station. A heavy bass line poured out of the stereo speakers.

_"You got me trippin', stumblin', flippin, fumblin', clumsy cos I've fallen in love..."_

George's eyes widened as he watched her sit down in the passenger's seat. She shut the door and laughed quietly.

"I didn't know that you like Fergie. Let alone hip hop."

"I, uh..."

"Can't breathe when you touch me, see, butterflies so crazy," she sang along, nudging George's shoulder slightly. "Whoa now, think I'm goin' down. Friends don't know what's with me. You got me trippin', stumblin', flippin', fumblin', clumsy cos I'm fallin' in love."

George, shaking off his momentary daydream, quickly put his car in reverse and backed out of the driveway.

"You got me slippin', tumblin', sinkin', fumblin'. Clumsy cos I'm fallin' in love, so in love with you." Izzie stopped singing and giggled. "It's such a dorky song, but it's cute."

"Yeah," George whispered more to himself than to her. "Real cute."

They reached their destination twenty minutes later. After George got his car parked, Izzie began digging through her bag.

"What'd you do? Pack the whole kitchen and your bedroom?" he teased.

She glared at him.

"Ha ha, you're funny," she said sarcastically.

George took the keys out of the ignition and put them in his corderoy jacket.

"I brought a flashlight, a sweatshirt and gum." She pulled out George's sweatshirt.

"That's mine," he muttered.

"And it's so comfortable and warm." She pouted. "Please, George? My jacket is dirty because Alex spilled beer on it last week."

George sighed.

"Alright."

He opened his door and stepped out, then looked down at Izzie. He couldn't help but chuckle while watching her pull it over her head.

"Need a hand?" he asked, noticing her struggle.

She pulled her head through the hole and smiled at him.

"I can manage." She pulled open her door and stepped out as well.

Once they had both shut their doors, George locked the car and made his way around the hood to join Izzie. They started their journey through one of the longer trails that they liked to walk, which wasn't very often due to their busy schedules at the hospital. George realized that this was the first time him and Izzie had gone walking together, alone, at night in the park. They were usually walking during the day or with friends.

"Gosh, I'm cold," Izzie muttered, crossing her arms tight over her chest. "I should have brought Mer's parka!"

George chuckled. He hesitated for a moment, watching her shiver as they walked along the dirt trail that was surrounded by dozens of green plants, and slowly reached his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close against him. He watched her rest her head on his shoulder.

"You're warm," she whispered softly, cuddling her face into his neck.

George shivered slightly, and it wasn't because he was cold.

"And you're freezing," he whispered, chuckling softly.

She giggled; the vibration of her voice bounced off his skin, making him feel weak.

"My hands are cold. You couldn't have built a pocket into this thing?" she said, kidding around.

"Nope. That's supposed to turn you off to the idea of wearing it," he said in an almost serious voice.

Izzie playfully swatted him.

"Meanie," she said, moving closer to him as they continued down the trail.

They stopped when they saw the fork in the road.

"Which way do you want to go?" George asked her.

Izzie looked at the sign that pointed in the different directions.

"Right. You can see Lake Washington."

"Okay," George said, leading them down the trail.

"Hey!" Izzie exclaimed, running to catch up to him. "You're warm. Get back here!"

George laughed and stopped. She brought him into a tight embrace and intertwined the fingers on his left hand with her right. She rested her head on his shoulder again as they started walking. George gave a sigh in content, relaxing his tensed muscles and let himself fall into her slightly.

After fifteen minutes of slowly walking down the darkening dirt trail, they arrived at the end of the trail. It was closed off by leaves and a large, fallen tree trunk.

"This can't be it," George whispered.

Izzie turned on her flashlight and pointed it at the leaves. She let go of George and slowly approached them.

"Be careful," George said quietly.

He watched her push the leaves away. She pulled back a branch and it revealed a meadow. George's eyes widened; he approached Izzie and stared in awe.

"Wow," he whispered. "I didn't think the flowers were still out. It's October."

"Come on," she whispered, taking his hand.

They stepped over the tree trunk and walked into the meadow of carnations and other assorted breeds of flowers. There was a full moon and bright stars that showered them with light. Beyond the meadow was a small beach area where the blue waters of Lake Washington flowed.

George and Izzie stopped walking and took in their surroundings. George's gaze lingered on Izzie, who was transfixed by the beauty of nature. The way the moon's light was pouring onto her made her the most beautiful being George had ever seen in his life. She was so enticing that it took his breath away; he was capitvated by her chocolatey eyes that slowly lingered over to meet his gaze.

"I can't believe how pretty it is," she whispered.

George gave her a small smile.

"Yeah," he quietly replied. "I can't, either."

Izzie took his hand in her's and gave it a gentle squeeze before releasing. George bent down and picked a healthy-looking pink carnation; he raised up and looked into Izzie's eyes as he gently placed the flower in her golden locks.

"This place may be pretty, but you're beautiful," he whispered in a gentle voice.

He watched the corners of Izzie's mouth raise. George returned her sweet smile, feeling a calming sensation from it. She stepped closer to him and softly kissed his cheek. His heart skipped a beat. As she slowly pulled her head back, their eyes met. Time seemed to have froze and all George could think about was how badly he wanted to kiss her and to tell her how he felt.

It was like an invisible magnet that was pulling them together. Izzie's head was tilted to the side and her lips were parting. George's heart rate picked up and wondered if it were a dream; his eyes closed and he parted his lips.

Their lips touched and, for George, it was like fireworks. Her soft lips against his were everything and more that he had been dreaming of for a while. To finally experience what he had been desiring was beyond what his mind could comprehend. The way her hands touched his sides to bring him closer, how he put his hand on her neck and let it slowly slide down to her chest... It was the best kiss he had ever shared with someone.

They parted after several moments of their kiss to catch a second wind. Izzie buried her face into the crook of his neck. He slowly wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a sensual embrace.

"Oh, George..." she whispered quietly, sliding her hands down his back.

_Is this a dream?_

"Izzie," he whispered.

"I want us to stay like this forever," she said in such a faint whisper that he was lucky to have heard her.

"I want this to last forever, too," was his quiet reply.

And with that, they stood in the meadow for what seemed like hours. They eventually walked closer to the beach and sat down to stare off at the lake and continued their warm embrace. At one point, George ended up pulling her into his lap to keep her warm, which made Izzie fall asleep.

It was going on midnight when they finally got up and were ready to hike back to the car so they could return home, where they could go to their warm beds and think about the events of their long, frustrating day and how it ended in such a blissful fairy tale state. George, though he was tired and desired sleep, had carried Izzie back bridal-style the last ten minutes of the walk and was thanked with a soft kiss on the lips.

He was happy, yet he was confused. What did all of this make them? Were they still only friends? Did she have feelings for him? So many questions gave George a head ache - he was sure he was going to need Tylenol when he got home to help knock some of the thoughts out of his head so he could sleep.

As he occasionally peered at Izzie (who had managed to fall asleep again) on their way home, he just smiled and decided that the answers could wait. Being with her in that moment was all that really mattered to him.


	10. Dreaming Of You

_"Oh, George..." she whispered quietly, sliding her hands down his back._

_"Izzie," he whispered._

_"I want us to stay like this forever," she said in such a faint whisper that he was lucky to have heard her._

_"I want this to last forever, too," was his quiet reply._

George opened his eyes to the golden, mid-morning sunlight that seaped through the cream-colored curtains. His back and neck ached from his old, double bed that he had brought to Meredith's house from his parents' place.

He rolled onto his side and stared at the empty place next to him. He sighed, wishing Izzie was laying next to him.

"I should have taken you in here and made love to you," he grumbled. "Why didn't I?"

"Why didn't you what?" came a voice from the door.

George looked over his shoulder and saw Derek leaning against the door frame. George cursed himself under his breath, wondering why he didn't remember to shut his door.

"Oh, nothing," George said quietly, sitting up in bed.

Derek tilted his head slightly, studying George closely.

"Why don't we talk, O'Malley?"

Derek closed the door behind himself as he approached George's bed. He moved moved with such confidence - confidence that George never had. After Derek took a seat at the end of George's bed, he looked at the younger man.

"What's buggin' you, O'Malley? You aren't usually this down. And you don't normally talk in your sleep that much."

George raised an eyebrow.

"I was talking in my sleep?"

"Yeah. Izzie was worried and sent me in here. She was afraid she'd wake you up." Derek ran his hand through his dark, wavy locks that George envied him for.

"Oh, you know how dreams can be," George said, still confused.

_Why is Shepherd in here? He never talks to me... We haven't had much of a conversation since that plague incident, and that was months ago!_

"O'Malley, I know we aren't exactly friends, but you're decent. I've been noticing the way you've been acting around the hospital lately. You seem depressed - troubled by something. What's going on?"

Something in the tone of Derek's voice set George at ease. He sounded supportive and understanding. Like he'd know how George felt and would know what to do.

George hesitated for a few moments before his eyes met with Derek's sapphire blue irises. He swallowed the knot in his throat, then let out a sigh, trying to get the weight off of his chest.

"Last night Izzie and I went to Seward Park and we kissed. We stayed out late and just laid in the park and held each other. I think I'm falling in love with my best friend," he admitted, still unsure about why he would tell Derek of all people.

Derek slowly nodded, seeming to grasp every word that George spoke.

"Well, does Stevens feel the same about you?"

"I don't know. When we were sitting at the park she said that she wanted to stay like that for forever. Maybe she does? Maybe she doesn't? Maybe she's just confused and trying to get over Alex...I'm just so confused. I don't even know what to do," he said in a defeated tone.

"Take it one day at a time, O'Malley. Get her alone and tell her how you really feel about her. Just put yourself out there and see what happens."

"What if she doesn't like me back?"

George and Derek's eyes met again.

"Then you deal with the pain and try to move on." Derek stood up and clapped George on the shoulder. "Just do what I said. Good luck, O'Malley. You're a good guy."

He watched Derek exit his room. George still felt uneasy and confused about what had just happened and his feelings.

_Standing outside on the back deck, he was holding Izzie's hand, waiting for her to response to his proposal. Soft music was playing in the background, but he couldn't make out what it was. All he could do was focus on Izzie's beautiful face and her response._

_"I do," she whispered, giving him a loving smile. "I love you, George."_

_He grinned a wide, happy grin. He slipped the band onto her finger and stood to his full height, then pulled her against him and gave her the most loving kiss he had ever given someone in his life._

_"I love you, Izzie Stevens," he whispered in her ear once their kiss had broke. He left a gentle kiss on her ear._

George finally got out of bed and showered by twelve-thirty. By that time, everyone else had already been up and used the shower before going about their daily business. Meredith's shift started at ten, so she had left hours ago and Derek wasn't due to go to the hospital until four. Izzie and George both had the night off, and George's plans were to try to work up the courage to let her know how he felt.

He entered the kitchen in search of food to find Izzie and Derek standing around, talking and drinking coffee. George caught Derek's eye and he immediately felt uncomfortable as he passed by him. When he walked past Izzie, he felt butterflies in his stomach. His nostrils filled with her sweet scent as he passed her; he tried to take in her scent as long as possible before the auroma of freshly brewed coffee stung his sinuses.

"Morning, George," Izzie said in a cheery voice, giving George a peppy smile.

George looked at her, giving her an adoring look.

"Morning," he said, voice slightly hoarse from his lack of speech.

"Derek and I are going to down to Pike's Place in a few minutes. Do you want to ride along?" she asked, stepping closer to George.

He felt her warm body only inches away from his. The desire to pull her against him was outweighing his steady thoughts.

"No, I'll stay here. I've got some stuff I wanted to take care of," he said, voice getting stronger.

"Alright. Want us to bring you back anything? Hey, maybe I'll pick up some fish and we could have salmon tonight. Should I?" Izzie placed her hand on his upper back, continuing to give him a happy smile.

George blushed, feeling his knees go weak.

"S-Sure," he said, giving her a bashful smile. "Do whatever you want. Just make sure I cook it, because you'd probably burn it," he teased.

Izzie's jaw dropped; she gave him a light tap on the shoulder.

"I'm a baker! You know I'm not the greatest cook."

"I'm teasing. You're wonderful." His cheeks turned a faint pink once he finished his sentence.

He noticed Izzie's face looking a little on the pink side as well.

"Thank you. Well, we'll be back in a while then," she said.

George quickly looked over and saw Derek putting on his jacket. He looked back at Izzie, watching her movements.

"O-Okay. See you later."

Both hesitated for a moment before Izzie leaned forward and quickly kissed George's lips. She blushed, then quickly walked past him and out the door. George collapsed against the counter, taken aback by her bold move. He looked over at Derek and saw him smirking.

"Nice one, O'Malley. See ya." He winked before leaving the room.

George stared at the doorway while his mouth remained partially open.


	11. My Stupid Mouth

**A/N: I'm really sorry about not updating for half a century. Until I saw the S6 premiere I lost interest in writing this, but now a semi-obsession with Grey's Anatomy has started again, so this is back in the works!**

That evening, after a salmon dinner both George and Izzie prepared, they settled down in the living room with a movie. George let Izzie pick the film they watched, which was a romantic comedy called "While You Were Sleeping." After Izzie put the DVD in she sat next to George on the green sofa, staring attentively at the television. George sat closer to her, allowing her to rest her head on his left shoulder.

The smell of Izzie's sweet perfume made George smile into her golden hair. He wasn't sure what the fragrance was, but all he could think of it being was a personal heaven for himself. He cuddled her into his arms, embracing every inch of her, and buried his face into her neck so he could take in another breath of what was her.

"George!" she exclaimed with a giggle, tilting her head to the opposite side of his head. "You're tickling me!"

George grinned against her soft skin. "Don't you like being tickled?" he questioned.

"Mmm...depends," she said in a flirty tone. She leaned her head back so she could stare at George, giving him a bright smile.

"Depends?" he repeated, voice as flirty as hers.

"Yeah. Some people I like being tickled by, but you?" Her fingers reached between their chests so she could play with a button on his shirt. "I don't like it much..."

George recognized her playful tone and smirked, loving their back and forth teasing.

"Well, that just broke my heart," he said in sarcastic manner.

"I knew it would." She grinned, leaning forward and giving him a soft kiss on the lips.

He melted into her rosey lips; their sweet taste was like ecstasy. They seperated, leaving George wanting more of her kisses. He felt Izzie shift her weight on the couch so she could cuddle closer to him.

"You need a breath mint, George. You smell like you've been kissing a tuna."

Taken aback, George looked down at her.

"I thought something was fishy." He smirked.

Of course, he was only teasing, but he knew from judging the look on her face that she took it the wrong way.

"Are you saying that I kiss like a fish?" she asked in a defensive voice.

"No! No, not like a fish! Like, like a... A..."

Izzie's mouth dropped as she gave him an angry look. She pulled away from his embrace and stood up, staring down at him with a glare that could have slew the most vicious beast.

"Well, you kiss like a chicken!" she exclaimed.

George stood up as well, wondering how their nice evening turned into a petty fight.

"A chicken?!" he questioned. "I kiss like a chicken?!"

"Yes! You peck at me as if I were a bag of feed, George!"

George was saddened by this.

"You really think that?" he asked, voice cracking in mid sentence. "You feel like a bag of feed?"

Izzie's eyes narrowed at him.

"Yeah. I regret kissing you, too," she said coldly. "Because apparently I'm a fish, right?"

George froze; he opened his mouth to speak, but all he could do was just stare at her.

She gave him one last murderous look before turning on her heel.

"You are such an idiot," George whispered to himself, staring at the entrance she had just stormed through.

_Perhaps it's time that you stopped talking?_

_Great plan. Should have thought of it ten minutes ago..._

George sat back down on the couch, staring ahead at the TV with eyes filled with sorrow.


End file.
